Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam
Video Producer: Shohini Bose
The death toll in the Bhiwandi building collapse incident in Maharashtra rose to 41 on the morning of Thursday, 24 September, with the rescue operations called off at 11:45 am, reported news agency ANI.
The three-storey building collapsed in the Patel Compound area of Bhiwandi, Thane, in the wee hours of Monday.
The deceased include two infants, seven minors, eight men and five women, said an official of the Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation (BNMC), in what is now the biggest building crash of the current monsoon in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), in terms of fatalities, IANS reported.
Earlier, Thane Guardian Minister and Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde had paid a visit to the site of the incident and ordered a probe into the lapses leading to the building crash. He also announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of the dead and free medical treatment to the injured.
Teams of Thane police, fire brigade units of Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation (BNMC) and neighbouring towns, and the National Disaster Response Force reached the site and have been carrying out relief and rescue operations. Local rescue teams and the NDRF along with a dog squad have saved over two dozen lives, and at least 10 other injured were admitted to various hospitals, IANS reported.
On Monday, PM Narendra Modi took to Twitter to express his condolences to the bereaved families and said that all possible assistance is being provided to the affected.
What Happened?
Located in Patel Compound, the 40-year old Jilani Building, which was said to be in a dilapidated state, suddenly came crashing down around 3:45 am, catching all the victims unaware while they were sleeping, according to IANS.
Locals said that the building was in a poor condition and had been served notices by the BNMC, but those were ignored.
Besides, there were unattended problems of leakages and seepages which may have weakened the structure located in a congested locality of the town.
(With inputs from ANI and IANS.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)